Mobility station as a hub

A mobility station links various mobility services at one location. Read more about this here.

“Take your own bike to the B+R station, from there take the regional train to the city center, take the subway to your workplace and from there take a rental bike for the last mile – for your lunch break, take a rental scooter if the weather is good or a bus if it’s raining,” is how MVV describes its vision for the urban mobility of the future. The aim is to ensure comprehensive connections and uncomplicated use of different means of transport through so-called mobility stations.

These serve as hubs and service points for urban mobility. They bring together various mobility services at one location and make it easy to switch between the individual services. The mobility stations primarily offer environmentally friendly means of transportation in order to promote a reduction in private car use. In addition to shared cars and rental bikes, they offer, for example, weather-protected bike parking and charging infrastructure for private electric vehicles and are linked to public transport stops. Depending on demand and design approach, they can also be supplemented with other services. For example, some mobility stations already offer storage facilities such as lockers, parcel stations or changing rooms for changing clothes. Exactly what a station looks like therefore varies from municipality to municipality.

In Germany, the first mobility station was opened in Bremen back in 2003. The concept then gradually spread to other cities. Major cities such as Hamburg, Leipzig and Munich, as well as smaller cities such as Offenburg, have established the mobile contact points. In addition to locations at major public transport hubs, they are also increasingly found in residential areas. This proximity is essential for the success of the stations. A survey conducted by Verkehrsclub Deutschland e.V. (VCD) back in 2016 revealed that people were particularly keen to have a short route to the station from their home. 68% of those surveyed at stated this. Only a large number of stations in the urban area, which also provide access to residential areas, can therefore guarantee everyday use. A further 50 percent were also in favor of on-site parking spaces for cars and 42 percent called for secure parking spaces for bicycles.

Good visibility is also considered essential. Both analog in the street and on digital platforms. Furthermore, the provision of information pillars that inform users about the available mobility options.

In Munich, MVV also relies on an obvious corporate identity through uniform logos. The MP logo unites mobility points throughout the MVV area. Pictograms show which services can be found on site in detail. The mobility station at Münchner Freiheit was a pilot project in Munich. It was launched in 2015 as a joint project between LHM and SWM/MVG. Since then, it has not only brought together subway, bus, streetcar and cab stops, but also bike & ride, park & ride, car sharing and MVG bike services. Münchner Freiheit was followed by other mobility stations in the city – but development has been slow so far. At the beginning of the year, there were only nine such stations in total.

A new initiative aims to change this. In June, a new station was opened in Knöbelstraße in Lehel under the title “Mobility Point”. The principle is no different from the existing stations, but under the new name, the city wants to launch a construction program for 200 such mobility points by 2026. In this way, the mobility department wants to guarantee a comprehensive connection for all Munich residents within a five-minute walk of their own home. The project will then expand even further out of the urban area in the future. From 2024, more than 60 additional mobility points with integrated services from the Munich Transport Association (MVV) will initially be created in ten municipalities in the district of Fürstenfeldbruck. The so-called last mile could actually be better connected thanks to the initiative. And in the best-case scenario, even more people will switch from private cars to environmentally friendly alternatives in the future.

You can find more thoughts on the last mile and mobility in rural areas here.